Neverwinter Forest kiiksiugun ⊎

no posting order!

aiolos spoke as they walked, the party halted by 
the arrival of kigipigak. in this moment, unguarded in the grief she sought to hold at bay, riddled with fear at what her grandsons had said, the icy look he gave her was answered with one of knowing pain. 

to his words the duck gave a nod, but approached him on silent feet, glancing back to see that panuk remained with his grandfather. her eyes found those of the winterhawk, and she almost said then the truth she felt was true.

but it was panuk who mentioned the lake, and kukutux wished she had not brought the boy, that she had left him with vairë. or even sent him back to his father! 

he is meant to be here, tooteega grunted.

callyope arrived then, wretchedly exhausted, and the sight of her tore at kukutux' heart.

arms went around the tired young woman. "kigipigak, we must go to the lake." her mouth worked for a moment. "panuk has told us he saw — he saw ariadne in the water there, as if it were part of her now."

and tautukpik! but she did not speak of the boy now, wondering if his knowing of of the spirit name might only awaken the barely resting enmity between sunshine and tartok ways.

"callyope," and she touched the fine pelt which was fragranced with white elk, and smiled wanly, "will you show us this lake? we will see if she is there."

kukutux did not think she had ever wished for ariadne to be elsewhere in her entire life as hard as she prayed for it now.

sedna, please. sedna, please, and she felt the resistance of her own step as the wolves moved toward the lake. and at last she decided she would walk no further, and fell back beside panuk. "why do we not stay here for now? let them look at the lake. i must rest."

she did not think panuk would leave her behind, and did not want to command him to stay from the fringe of forest which circled the lake. yet she would order him to stay if she needed, she dreaded that look upon callyope's face and did not want to walk another step.